Converted my GS1100 to a Plug In Hybrid !!

[kens97sto171]

Been sorting through some electrical gremlins on my 82 GS1100.

Thanks very much for all the electrical help from the Mega Welcome..

Did some testing today.

Brand new battery fully charged. 13.5 volts or so.
No voltage increase at the battery as you rev the engine.

Stator is a replacement one, all yellow wires, The wiring between Stator and R/R was put together with SUPER HEAVY duty bullet connectors with very thik almost silicon feeling insulators. BUT the connectors were then taped together right next to each other. The Three connectors were MELTED together, but only the insulation was melted, the metal in the bullet connectors never actually touched.

The Stator tested MOSTLY good.
Proper resistance between all the wires.
The Ground test passed too.
But while revving the engine.. got 70 Volts on two wires, and 65 Volts from One. I read that the Volts should be the same, but not sure if a 5 Volt difference is a death sentence or not.
I don't have a tach.. so It is possible that I let the revs drop a little at one point or another. But we did the test several times, and got the same result.. from the same wires, So I don't think so.

Tested the R/R .
The diode test passed, but it is not sending power apparently to the bike. Tested the grounds from The R/R and that passed as well, the R/R does get warm while the bike is running so I guess it is getting the power from the Stator, But not doing the correct things with that power. One thing we noticed was that the red wire coming out of the R/R had power even when the key was off, not sure if that is proper or not. We were thinking that under normal conditions, the R/R would be charging the battery through that wire.

I decided that for now... It would be best if I left the the wires from the Stator disconnected.. we arranged them so they are properly insulated from each other and ground.
I saw no point in sending that voltage into a possible failed R/R and further damaging the Stator. Let me know if that's bad or not. I had a small fear that the power NEEDS to go somewhere, or could fry the Stator.. though that is likely already the case.

Also left the R/R disconnected. So the power wire to the battery is also disconnected at this point.

Now I am running the bike solely from the battery...

I will plug the bike in to a nice trickle charger when I get home...

SO.. I am now riding a Plug in Hybrid.. LOL

In the daytime, I will pull the headlight fuse to conserve some battery life... and I almost never ride in the dark anyway. Though I would prefer a light on in daytime for visibility reasons.

So I am riding it with caution as to the distance... I may hook up a volt meter to monitor the battery, as I ride. Those are pretty cheap and would give me some indicator as the battery discharges that I should head home.

I might make a mount for my 860 Lumen Flashlight.. and use it as a headlight instead... the Flashlight is brighter anyway. Even on it's lower settings it should be VERY visible to oncoming traffic. On high it will through a beam almost 200 yards. Aimed down a bit, it lights up the road quite nicely.
I have been doing that on my 78 Yamaha DT 175.. because a 6 Volt headlight SUCKS REALLY BAD. LOL.

Let me know what you think.

I will be doing a little more testing if needed, and depending on what you guys think, I will buy a new Stator and R/R
But for now.. I can't afford it
So if I wanna ride it. I can. Just have to be careful about how far I go.

Thanks for all the help. And suggestions.

Ken

[SqDancerLynn1]

Sounds like you need a new regulator. Also Sounds like the stator still has some life left. Seems like I remember the 1100 has a plug in the harness for the stator ?
Wire the stator direct to the regulator & to the battery, make sure the ground is good

[kens97sto171]

I think there was a plug on the stock components, But apparently both the R/R and Stator were replaced at some point with parts that did not have the connectors, so they used some bullet connectors, and then taped them together.

I will order a R/R first, and see if that gets me fixed up. But it will still be a bit.
They are not that expensive, found some on EBAY for $40 or so. but right now even that much is too much. I was off work for a couple weeks recently and so .. I'm a little short at the moment.

Thanks..
Ken

[mrbill5491]

I think there was a plug on the stock components, But apparently both the R/R and Stator were replaced at some point with parts that did not have the connectors, so they used some bullet connectors, and then taped them together.

I will order a R/R first, and see if that gets me fixed up. But it will still be a bit.
They are not that expensive, found some on EBAY for $40 or so. but right now even that much is too much. I was off work for a couple weeks recently and so .. I'm a little short at the moment.

Thanks..
Ken

Don't fool your yourself, not all R/Rs are created equal. What you want to do is go to a new series type R/R and I would replace the stator with a new one. Eliminate any possible problems at the git go. Clean and replace any and all bad connections. Make sure you have good grounds as well. Battery to frame/engine case, R/R to battery and R/R to frame/engine case. And yes it is going to cost a few $$ though you get want you pay for.

[Ghostgs1]

Plus one on the SH775 R/R.

[kens97sto171]

Don't fool your yourself, not all R/Rs are created equal. What you want to do is go to a new series type R/R and I would replace the stator with a new one. Eliminate any possible problems at the git go. Clean and replace any and all bad connections. Make sure you have good grounds as well. Battery to frame/engine case, R/R to battery and R/R to frame/engine case. And yes it is going to cost a few $$ though you get want you pay for.

Where would you suggest to get the new series R/R
There was a recommendation in the stator test documents I read. Was about $95 I think.
I agree with you on not buying cheap parts . But if $40 will fix it I can do that sooner. the stator passes every test except being off 5volts. On one wire.. 70. vs 65v
I can wait too. It really is not a big deal for me to just charge the battery up after a ride. I rarely ride more than 3 hours.. and not at night. The battery should be able to run the coils for way longer than that.
Thanks for all the help.

[eil]

I did the same thing on my bike for a couple weeks before I replaced the R/R. I had the battery on "life support" (battery tender) whenever it wasn't being ridden.

I'm going to recommend that you get the R/R replaced sooner rather than later, or cut back on your riding until you can. For these reasons:

1. If you have a plain-jane lead-acid battery, these are not designed for frequent deep discharges. These dramatically shorten the life of the battery.
2. Your indicators, turn signals, head lights, and brake lights are designed to be run somewhere around 13-14v. At 12V, they are noticeably dimmer, making it harder for you to see the idiot lights on the dash and harder for others on the road to see your lights.
3. It's no fun riding around wondering if your bike is going to die because there's no more power left to spark the plugs. Doubly worrisome if your long rides are decreasing the capacity of the battery.

The SH-775 (Polaris part #4012941) is high-quality, runs around $70 shipped, and will be the last R/R the you'll have to buy for the bike. I picked mine up used on eBay for $50 shipped, so they can be had cheaper if you keep an eye out.

And to answer one of your earlier questions, yes, you can keep the stator disconnected without damaging anything, as long as the ends of the wires are well insulated and don't contact anything else.

[kens97sto171]

Thanks. EIL. I will look for the polaris R/R that you recommended. It will be a couple weeks at least. My rides right now are closer to 1- 1/2 hours. And often I am stopping at the halfway point at a place I can plug in the bike. I keep the battery tender with me in a tank bag.
I jokingly told my friend I should just cover my bike and helmet with solar panels. Then I can be REALLY GREEN.

Thanks again.
Ken